Understanding the value processes and barriers facing ecological sustainable entrepreneurs

Abstract

The green economy is an emerging sector that offers great opportunities for future business development. Extant literature argues that large companies must take on an entrepreneurial orientation in order to grow, however there is a lack of knowledge regarding the process that ecological sustainable entrepreneurs follow in their approaches to create new value, that large companies can mimic in their approach. The study focuses on the process, values and barriers that ecological entrepreneurs face on their journey of creating a sustainable value proposition. The study shows that ecological sustainable entrepreneurs constantly search for alternatives to the challenges they face in terms of the current accepted norms. They engage in market opportunities that satisfy their need to create value beyond their product value proposition through a stakeholder approach by building trust and acceptance through a knowledge sharing process. This is underpinned with values such as trustworthiness, relationship-building through empathy and respect, upholding fairness and maintaining integrity. The barriers faced can be grouped into customer barriers, personal barriers, business and industry barriers, and political and regulatory barriers, which ecological sustainable entrepreneurs have to constantly navigate by means of the process they adopt and the values that they ascribe to.